The Greatest Lesson
by TR'sRapidash
Summary: Jessie and James are sent to a week of training under the tutelage of Team Rocket's greatest agent, a girl who is more than she seems. Can she teach the two of them a lesson far greater than any found in a book?
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: This story contains serious Ash- and Tracey-bashing, Rocketshippyness, the author being nice to Giovanni, Bush-bashing, and profanity

Author's Note: This story contains serious Ash- and Tracey-bashing, Rocketshippyness, the author being nice to Giovanni, Bush-bashing, and profanity. If you cannot handle this, don't read my fic! (It's not so bad in this chapter, though, in case you were wondering.)

The Greatest Lesson

By Team Rocket's Rapidash

__

Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring!

Phone call! Phone call!

Ring ring ring! Ring ring ring!

Phone call! Phone call!

"Meowth! Will you get that? Meowth?"

I sighed. _Damn that cat! _I thought. Too lazy to get the freakin' phone...

"Nnhhh...where's the fire?"

I looked to my right. James had woken up. His blue hair-one of God's little mysteries-was all sticking up on one side. The rest was a labyrinth of tangles. James blinked and blearily focused his emerald eyes on me. He sat up, his sheet falling down to his lap, exposing his black silk boxers. You know, the ones with the little Saturn and all the stars? Well, you've never seen him in his boxers(_so_ sexy!), so I guess you wouldn't.

Meowth entered the bedroom of our tiny Team Rocket cabin just outside Blackthorn City. We had been pursuing the twerp for quite some time now, and, after nearly three years, Ash was on the verge of winning his Rising Badge. 

The cat didn't look happy. "Da Boss wants ta talk ta ya. Says it's important. I told him to wait until youse guys got spruced up a bit. Ya look like a buncha Mereeps after a Pidgeot hit 'em wit a Whirlwind attack an' dey hit an Onix. Not exactly what I'd call groomed, kids." 

James growled. "Thanks, Meowth, now maybe I'll squirt you with my shaving cream tonight. See how you feel when I tease you in the mornin' about _your _appearance. Give us five fuckin' minutes, alright?"

Meowth sighed and shook his head.

Five minutes later, there we were, fully groomed and dressed, standing in front of the telephone's vid-screen. 

The Boss smiled. "Jessie, James, good to see you awake and chipper, as always."

_Chipper my ass,_ I thought.

"So, why is it you wanted us, sir?" James asked, layering his voice with Southern syrup. "As I recall, it is precisely 6:35 AM. Not the best time to wake your field agents, if you'll excuse my saying so, sir."

The Boss smiled again. "Yes, James, I realize this. However, I need to see you three in my Viridian headquarters as soon as possible. I have a...special assignment that only you three can handle. Over and out."

The vid-screen went blank. James turned to me. "_As soon as possible._ You'd think that Viridian was only a stone's throw from Blackthorn." He snorted. "It'll take two days in the Meowth balloon! How are we supposed to get there quickly?"

I shrugged. "Too bad we don't have a Rapidash or something..."

James' eyes lit up. "Hey! I know!" 

"What is it, Jimmy? Ya got a plan?" Meowth asked.

James nodded. "Remember how I evolved Growly at the beginning of the year? Well, I figure I could just withdraw him from the computer and we've got ourselves a free ticket to Viridian City!" 

It _was _a good idea. James had evolved Growly a few days after his birthday on January 18, when the puppy Pokemon had decided he wanted to evolve. A perfect present for James, I thought. And us, too, now-Growly as an Arcanine was extremely fast!

My eyes sparkled. "Oh, James," I cooed, "You're so smart!" James blushed and ducked his head. No matter if it _was_ true, James being brilliant and all, it still embarrassed him.

I hugged him, relishing the feel of his warm body aganst mine. This only made James blush harder. He giggled. "Come on, Jess, we had better get going." 

@----

No less than two hours later, Jessie, Meowth and I arrived at Northern Headquarters in the middle of the labyrinthine Viridian forest. I called Growly back into his pokeball, and kissed it. 

"Good work, Growly. Thanks." The pokeball quivered slightly, and I'll be damned if Growly wasn't in there shaking his tail. I swiped our pass through the electronic lock on HQ's massive iron doors, and the lock clicked and beeped. We were in.

The secretary, Hermione, a pretty, black-haired twenty-something showed us in with a cheerful wave. 

It was dark, as usual, in the Boss's office. He smiled his shark-tooth grin at us.

"Welcome, Jessie, James, Meowth. You're here early. I didn't expect you to be in until-"

"Two days from now?" I asked.

He facefaulted. "...Yes. Did you ride on your Arcanine?"

I nodded. "So, what did you want us for, sir?"

The Boss cleared his throat and sat forward. His Persian lurked out of the shadows and made his way to the desk, hissing at Meowth as he passed. Meowth stretched the claws of his right paw, but showed no other signs of agitation. 

"The three of you are my best field agents. However, you lack specific skills that will be useful in other areas. So, to, ahem, help you along, I have enlisted the help of my greatest agent. You will train under her supervision for one week, then report back to me. Your instructor will also be giving me a daily report, so I advise you three to...behave. Clear?"

I smirked. "Crystal, sir."

Jessie put her hands on her hips. "And just who, exactly, will be teaching us?"

"I will." 

We looked around, wondering where the voice had come from. I spotted a gleam from the dark shadow near the Boss's desk.. Slowly a figure stepped into view.

It was a young girl. Her sepia eyes glittered in the low light. She was wearing a bodysuit-like Team Rocket uniform, reminiscent of the one Cassidy wore, only hers was all black-no tacky striping. However, it also resembled a business suit in that the sleeves were long, revealing short white dress gloves, gloves that showed off ten impeccable black, manicured nails. A belt hung off her hips, and I could clearly see six minimized pokeballs, seemingly freshly polished. She had, I noted, knee-high, lace-up black leather boots that were more sophisticated than some I'd seen-most likely they'd been tailored to match her outfit.

But it was her face that caught my attention. She had deathly pale skin like Jessie's, and a hairstyle that I'd seen on only one other person.

Me.

The white hair in the front of her reddish sepia, anyway. She had three strands of hair that stuck out at her widow's peak, telling me that, at one point in her life, she might've cut or shaved her widow's peak clear off. Her sepia eyes were identical to the eyes that the majority of the Rockets, including Jessie and I, had. She wore black lipstick and eyeshadow that set off the "Rocket Elite" look perfectly. The blood-red of the "R" on her chest was basically the only other really noticeable color she possessed, aside from the sepia of her hair and eyes.

I loved her instantly.

Well, in the platonic friendship sense, anyway. Jessie is the only woman I could ever truly love. Besides, this girl was too young for me.

The Boss stood up and put his arm around the girl's shoulders. This gesture surprised me, since I had never really thought of the Boss as a very physical person. Our young friend was most likely his daughter or something...but, then again, the Boss wasn't a very physical person. Not a very good quality to lack in marriage.

"Jessie, James, Meowth, this is Team Rocket's Rapidash. My most esteemed agent since, well, Miyamoto."

"B-but she's just a little girl!" Jessie cried, practically spitting with rage.

Rapidash narrowed her eyes. "I'm fourteen. My birthday was March 1st." 

"Big deal! You haven't had any _time_ to become as great as the Boss says! What kind of joke are you trying to pull?!"

Rapidash sighed and looked up at the Boss. "Giovanni, am I really going to have to teach these impertinent teenagers?"

"Now, Rapidash, remember what we talked about." the Boss said warningly.

"I know..."

"Good. Now, run along and do your job, Rapidash. I'm counting on you."

Rapidash bowed and led us out onto the front lawn. She crossed her arms and looked evenly at us. 

"Now, you three, I'm your mother for the next week, and I wanna get a couple of things straight. You will follow all rules unless otherwise instructed. Just because I'm younger than you doesn't mean I can't whip your asses if you give me trouble. This is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship. I am the Lord. Understand?"

We nodded_._

Rapidash smiled. "Good. Now, we've got a long way to go, so I think we'd better ride. You'll be staying with me, so I figure y'all better get used to the resident Pokemon."

_Ah, a Southerner, _I thought. _I wonder what state she's from..._

"Resident Pokemon?" Meowth asked. "What in hell's dat mean?"

She chuckled. "Well, I'll tell you when we get there. In the meantime, y'all gotta ride on my birds, if you wanna keep up with...Rapidash! I choose you!"

A huge Rapidash stallion materialized in front of us. We all stepped back. The stallion snorted. A gust of embers and smoke blew out of his delicate nostrils. He had snow-white fur, a huge plume of flames, and glaring blood-red eyes. It was all we could do to keep from running! That Rapidash was scary!

"Aw, you're all wimps.He won't hurt you! My baby is just a big teddy bear! See?" Rapidash stroked _her_ Rapidash's muzzle. Slowly, the stallion's eyelids drooped. 

She chuckled. Then, snapping her fingers and getting the stallion to kneel, Rapidash mounted up. 

Rapidash pulled two pokeballs off of her belt. "Jessie, Meowth, you can ride on Skarmory, if you'd like."

They nodded. Rapidash released the steel bird, and it allowed Jessie and Meowth to climb onto its back.. She then looked at me.

"Well, James, looks like you got my _big_ bird. Wanna see?" she asked, waving the pokeball in my face. 

"Sure."

Rapidash giggled. "Here we go..."

She tossed the pokeball into the air. It opened, and a great, ice-blue bird materialized. _It can't be..._

"Articuno!" 

The bird alighted in front of me. Articuno regarded me with his crimson eyes, then raised his elegant head slightly and cooed. 

"He says he remembers you."

I reached out and stroked Articuno's icy crest. The ice of his feathers was pleasantly cool, and it didn't melt under my touch. I climbed onto the bird's back and took a hold of his feathers. Articuno spread his wings. 

"Y'all ready?" Rapidash cried. We nodded. She heeled into her stallion's side and off we went.

@----

It was 9:00 before we arrived at Rapidash's home, and that was with Skarmory, Articuno, and Rapidash's Rapidash traveling at full clip. 

We pulled up next to an enormous live oak, the likes of which I'd never seen. Not even in the front lawn of the Woodson estate, and they had pretty big trees. No, this tree looked like it could support an entire house! The oak sat on the edge of a large, oval-shaped lake. It was so close, several of the roots were in the water! 

Cattails and reeds lined the lake, and I could see wild Wooper, Farfetch'd, and Yanma frolicking alongside Quagsire and Poliwag. The area around the lake resembled a national park, complete with wild Stantler, Pidgey, and Teddiursa. 

I could get used to this.

But...

...Where was the house?

"Hey, y'all!" Rapidash called. "Quit gawking at the scenery and let's go inside!"

We turned around. "Rapidash..." I began. "...Where _is_ the house?"

Rapidash giggled that strange Southern giggle and pointed up. Our jaws dropped. 

Her house was _in the tree_.

It was amazing! The whole house, complete with electricity, indoor plumbing, and anything else anyone could possibly want, was resting in the boughs of this titanic tree.

Rapidash grinned. "Like it? The Dan'in helped me build it."

James, Meowth and I were stupefied. How-_how_-could a fourteen-year-old girl-and she was most likely not fourteen when construction began-have _built_ this...this _mansion?_

I decided not to worry about it. 

"How do we get up there?" James asked. I had been wondering that, too. The house must've been twenty feet high!

"Well," Rapidash said, smiling slyly, "Someone has to be _up_ there...and I don't see anyone, do you?"

"B-but Rapidash!" James sputtered. _"How are we going to get up there?"_

"Like _this_!"

And, as suddenly as a gunshot, Rapidash _jumped_-I kid you not-_jumped_ _from a standstill_ _onto the balcony-twenty feet into the air!_

She alighted gently and lowered a basket. When we arrived at the balcony, Rapidash held up a hand. 

"Don't ask."

@----

We entered Rapidash's living room through the balcony's glass doors. Rapidash flipped on the lights. A string of artist's lights lit up along the ceiling, illuminating the room. It was beautifully furnished, with Oriental influence showing brilliantly. A set of beautiful katanas stood in one corner, along with two richly ornamented staffs.

Across the room stood a glass case with models of famous manga characters-Kabuki, Sailor Saturn, the dragon from _Dragonball Z, _and, wonder of wonders, us! Sure enough, there we were, immortalized in hard plastic for all the world to see. Jessie stood nobly with her Arbok, Lickitung, and Wobbuffet around her. Meowth perched next to her. And I? I stood with my arms crossed, a haughty expression on my plastic face. Surrounding me were Growly, Weezing, Victreebel, and, to my surprise, the Gyarados I had lost two years before. 

Rapidash chuckled. "Admiring yourself, James?"

I cocked my head. "Why do I have a Gyarados? I don't have one anymore."

She sighed. "Here." Rapidash handed me a gold-plated pokeball...one with scratch marks in it. 

"Now you do. I heard that you had lost him, so I went out and got him back for you." She laughed. "Now that I think about it, that little bastard was hard to wrestle, but he submitted in the end...they all do. Enjoy." 

"You _wrestled-_"

"What did I say about asking questions?" she snapped. "I'll tell you when it's time."

Sweet girl, that Rapidash. Heh. Sweet like lemon juice. 

Anyway, the rest of that morning was spent settling in. It turned out that Rapidash, oddly enough, only had two bedrooms in her treetop paradise. Meowth would sleep out on the pavilion over the lake, and Jessie and I...

...Would share the bed in the guest room.

It wasn't really that bad. It was a king-size bed, Jessie and I would each have our own side-what was wrong with it? 

A lot, according to Jessie.

"Rapidash! Why do we have to sleep in the same bed?" Jessie wailed. 

"Because."

"Because _why_?" Jessie growled, bringing out her heavy-duty _Super Mario Bros._ mallet. 

A vein popped out on Rapidash's forehead. "Would you like the long reason or the short one?" she hissed.

_"Both.."_

"One. James is perfectly sanitary. It ain't like you gotta sleep in the same bed with Ash."

Jessie shuddered.

"Two. I only have two beds and you're not sleeping in mine. Three, the two of you sleep together all the time-and have for eight years!"

Jessie sweatdropped. "What's the short reason?"

"BECAUSE I'M YOUR MOTHER AND I SAID SO!"Rapidash yelled. She sighed. "Why does it matter? It's not like James is gonna rape ya or anything, right?"

"..."

"I didn't think so. Now get unpacked."

After Rapidash left, Jessie turned to me. "Man, can she yell! My ears are throbbing!"

I shook my head. "She does have quite the stentorian voice. And anyway, you _did_ provoke her, Jess. She had every right to bitch at you."

Jessie stuck her mallet in my face. "James Eric Woodson, you better have a good excuse for that!"

Oh, boy. The _full_ name. Jessie will only use my _full_ name when she's really mad at me. 

"Jess, you were making a big deal of nothing! Rapidash is right-we sleep in the same bed all the time! And besides, we're in _her_ house. We have to follow her rules-she's reporting our every move to the Boss!"

She backed off. "You're right...you're right. Come on. Help me get unpacked."

I was a little wary, but Jessie smiled. "Don't worry, James. I won't bite."

@----

Noon. 

James, Meowth, Rapidash and I, along with all our Pokemon, were lounging around the crystal-clear lake, fishing. Rapidash had told us there were rare and valuable Pokemon in these waters, and, as if to emphasize the point, a Dratini leapt out of the water. 

Needless to say, we were out there with Super Rods immediately. 

"Now," Rapidash said, casting her line, "The most important thing here is not the Pokemon you catch, it's how you catch them. A gentle but firm hand, a strong line, and, most of all, _patience._ With these three things at your disposal, you can catch anything! 

"The two most basic fishing techniques are fly-fishing and the Slowpoke Method." Rapidash said. She pulled in her line, then cast it again, but kept it from entering the water. The lure skipped on the surface of the water, until, suddenly, a Goldeen jumped up and grabbed it! 

Rapidash reeled the goldfish in. After examining it, she gently set it back in the water. As we watched it swim away, Rapidash turned to us. 

"As you just saw, fly-fishing is a quick and effective way to catch Pokemon like Poliwag, Magikarp, Goldeen, Seaking, and Horsea. These Pokemon dwell just under the surface of a lake or ocean. However...

"If you want a good Pokemon like Gyarados, Golduck, Tentacruel, Remoraid, Dewgong, Seadra, Kingdra, and Mantine, you'll have to wait."

Rapidash cast her line out into the deeper water and stuck the end of the Super Rod in between two roots.

"Aren't you worried that it'll get pulled out if something gets it?" James asked.

"Not really. Besides, the only Pokemon really big enough to do that are Gyarados, Dewgong, Mantine, and Dragonite."

"Hold up. You mean there are _Dragonite _in this lake?!" James asked incredulously.

"Yep. Dratini and Dragonair, too. Real beautes. I snagged a fourteen-footer once, but it snapped my line. Too bad. I coulda used that Dragonair."

Rapidash sighed. "I'm gonna take a quick nap. If any one of us snags something, I've got a bunch of Lure Balls in this bag. Nice fresh ones, too. Just made 'em this mornin'."

My eyes widened. "You make your own Pokeballs? But I thought..."

"That Kurt was the only person that could forge Pokeballs out of Apricorns? I can do it too. There are Apricorn trees all around here. Also, the soil that makes up the forest floor is very fertile, more so than the soil in the Ilex Forest. The Apricorns here grow faster, bigger, and more forgeable than the ones in Ilex Forest. I can make as many as one hundred a day. The majority of them I make for Team Rocket's use."

Her eyelids slowly closed, long lashes fluttering over her dark brown eyes. Soon, she was out. I hated to admit it, but Rapidash was kind of cute when she was asleep.

@----

After an unsuccessful afternoon at fishing (well, we did catch a Magikarp, but after we let it go, Rapidash said that it was too hot for the higher-level Pokemon to be near the surface, or even awake, so we decided to try again in the morning.), the four of us were eating a light lunch of various kinds of sushi. I had discovered that Rapidash kept her fine figure so easily because of a high metabolism, so she could pig out without a guilty conscience. Like me! It's good to find someone who shares my love of food...

"So," Rapidash said through a mouthful of tuna roll, "How's yer first day been so far?"

I picked up a California roll with my chopsticks. "Well, aside from having to wake up at 6:30, traipsing across rugged terrain on an Arcanine for two hours, and not being able to catch anything, I'd say we've had a great time." I said, smiling wryly.

"I hate you." Rapidash said, barely restraining a grin.

Swallowing my California roll, I put down my chopsticks. "Really, Rapidash, we've had a great time! I thought your lesson on Pokemon-fishing was rather stimulating."

She raised her thin eyebrows. "Really?"

"Sure." 

Rapidash's eyes became big and starry. "Wow...Gio was right! You guys _will_ listen!"

I laughed. "_Of course_ we'll listen, Rapidash! You have to have faith in us!"

"Then how come you failed your exams at Tech? Didn't y'all listen to your professors?"

Jessie wrinkled her nose. "We listened. We just froze when the test was handed out, that's all."

"I know," Rapidash said, picking up some fried rice. "I read your personnel files. Background research."

"Ah." I said.

"And anyway, I like you guys! I wanted to know more about you." 

Suddenly, a pale pink flower petal hit our table and bounced off. Rapidash picked it up.

"Shit! Right in the middle of lunch, too, the cowards!" she growled. The petal was abnormally large and seemed sharp-quite possibly a result of the Grass-type attack Petal Dance. Rapidash clenched her fist around it, and the petal _incinerated. _Literally burned up. 

This girl amazed me more and more...

Rapidash stood up, nearly upsetting the table. "Damn it you two, can't you see I'm with some students? Why don't you come back and piss me off some other time?"

I could hear giggling...and a cry of "Viiiiii!" 

The hair on the back of my neck stood up. _Could it be...?_

@----

James had gone rigid. I know; I heard the mad giggles and Vileplume's cry just as well as he had. Meowth had heard it too, and he hissed ferociously.

I was on the alert. If Jessiebelle showed up, I was ready to defend James. Okay, so I love the guy! Sue me!

"Prepare for trouble!"

_Uh...that doesn't sound like Jessiebelle..._

"And make it double!"

"To detect the world's devastation!"

"To multiply it for all peoples in our nation!"

"To pronounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our rule to the stars above!"

"Bunny!"

"Andrew!"

"Team Rocket, kicking ass all day and night!"

"Surrender now 'cause you'll lose this fight!"

"That's right!"

"Viiiiii!" 

It wasn't Jessiebelle, just another trio of motto-swiping idiots.

The girl looked to be about twelve, with an abnormally large bust for someone her age. Her sleeveless black bodysuit was trimmed in red, and it had no "R"! I was puzzled until I saw the "R" on her belt. She wore fingerless gloves that went to her _elbows_. This girl obviously had no fashion sense whatsoever. A sheet of dark hair with gold highlights fell to her waist, not completely obscuring a pair of red ball earrings. Hazel eyes glittered maliciously, and black lips were curved in a nasty smirk. 

Her partner wasn't much better. A skinny blonde about thirteen years of age; he , like the girl, didn't look as though they could put up much of a fight. 

His outfit _totally_ clashed. White pants, the same belt, black fingerless gloves, and-oh, you're gonna love this-an open-so-you-could-see-what-little-chest-he-had, wide-sleeved _priest's_ shirt! Oh, man, can we say _tacky_?

"Bunny", as she had so eloquently (not) introduced herself, stretched a whip. 

"So, TR, how's it goin'?" she asked. A Texan drawl was not disguised in her chirpy, extremely annoying voice. If she was Texan(or remotely so), her parents had probably voted for that idiot, Bush. That just put her farther down on my hate list.

Rapidash leapt down from our little luncheon, landing lightly in front of the two other Rockets.

"Go away," she snarled. "I didn't invite you."

"Now that's not very nice," Bunny said. "I only wanted lunch."

"You're lying. You came to harass me and my guests!" Rapidash cried.

Bunny looked up at Rapidash. "Well, yeah, but we figured we could swipe your little picnic while we're at it, too!"

Rapidash held out a hand. Suddenly, her belt, complete with pokeballs, materialized in her hand. Bunny looked shocked.

_Must be psychic, _I thought.

Rapidash pulled a pokeball off of her belt, then buckled it on. She looked strangely cute, standing there in a black bikini and a belt hanging off her hips. The look worked, I gave her that.

"Let's battle. If you win, you can have our lunch. If I win, you leave. Deal?"

Bunny brought out her own pokeball. "Deal...but I'm gonna win!"

_Maybe she and Ash could go out...they're both twerps!_ I thought.

"Go! Articuno!" Rapidash cried, assuming a battle stance like my own. The Legendary Bird emerged from the ball with a cry.

"This should be easy," Bunny said, smirking and adopting an Ash-like battle pose. "Go Cyndaquil!" 

The little fire mouse squeaked as it emerged. It started to shake as it looked up at Articuno.

"You may have the type advantage, Bunny, but my Articuno is at a very high level!" Rapidash cried. "Articuno! Powder Snow!"

The ice-blue bird flew up into the air and flapped his powerful wings. A fine, powdery snow began to fall. In seconds the low-level Cyndaquil was a hunk of ice.

"No! Cyndaquil, return! I choose you! Chikorita!"

The little leaf Pokemon came out just as Rapidash sent out Houndoom. The Dark Pokemon bared its fangs at the Chikorita, and as soon as he saw it flinch, Houndoom sank those fangs into Chikorita's neck, Biting it. Pure Dark energy flowed into the Pokemon's body. It was down for the count.

@----

Some minutes later, the two Rockets were down to there last Pokemon. Bunny was anyway; Rapidash's Articuno had Fainted Cyndaquil, Houndoom had taken Chikorita, Skarmory had taken Totodile, Espeon had taken Arcanine, and Umbreon had taken Charizard. Each of Rapidash's Pokemon were unharmed, but as for Bunny's...

All taken down with one shot.

And now? Well, Rapidash's Rapidash was brutalizing Bunny's Rapidash. Then...

"No! Rapidash!" Bunny cried. "We're outta here!"

And off they went. 

"And don't come back!" Rapidash called after them. She jumped back up to where we sat. 

"Wow, Rapidash, dat was great!" Meowth gushed. "An' especially since da majority of dose types didn't match up!"

"Yeah!" Jessie said. "How did you do that?"

"Well, my Pokemon are at a much higher level than any of theirs." Rapidash said. "Plus, all my Pokemon possess their type's strongest attacks, along with different ones for diversity. My Pokemon are so strong they don't really need strategy."

"Wow," I said. "Could you teach us that?"

Rapidash giggled. "My pleasure."

@----

So, Jessie, James, and Meowth have survived their first day under the tutelage of Team Rocket's greatest agent, a young girl with special powers and a name fashioned to fit them: Team Rocket's Rapidash. But they will soon learn the startling truth about their new friend, and some things about themselves, too. 

~ Continued in Chapter Two ~


	2. The Greatest Lesson Chapter 2

The Greatest Lesson: Chapter Two

The Greatest Lesson: Chapter Two

I looked over at the digital clock on the nightstand next to the bed Jessie and I were forced to share. 2:30 AM. Then I looked over to my right, wondering why there was no circulation in my right arm. _Meowth must be sleeping on my arm again, _I thought. I wriggled my arm out from under him...and felt the weight shift and a pair of arms encircle my waist. 

"Oh, James..."

Now I was officially freaked out. The voice hadn't been Meowth's...

It was Jessie's. I felt a pair of lips trail up my chest and neck. A feeling I had longed for. I kissed her forehead and down her face, but as soon as our lips met...

"Aaaahhhhh!" Jessie screamed. She smacked me with her mallet, causing me to cry out in pain and surprise. Meowth yowled and clawed the both of us.

"What in the name of _God_ is going on here?"

The lights clicked on. Rapidash stood in the doorway. Her sepia-and-white hair was up in a messy ponytail, her pale skin covered only by a dark red tank top, gray spaghetti-strap sports bra and zebra-striped Limited Too underwear, but the scariest thing about her was that she was wielding a katana. The three of us shrieked in horror.

"Very funny," she growled. "Ha, ha. It is to laugh. Now someone answer my question before I test out my newly-sharpened katana on your heads."

We all began to speak at once, but our entwined explanations were such unintelligible jargon that Rapidash finally threw up her black-nailed hands and sighed in resignation.

"Forget it." she said exasperatedly. "I'm going back to my room to finish sharpening my swords. Next time, _call me_ if something happens. Okay?"

As she left, Rapidash looked over her shoulder. "And I would suggest just giving up and sleeping in each other's arms, since it's gonna happen anyway." 

Meowth jumped off of the bed and trotted after her. Jessie and I looked at each other, smiling sheepishly and blushing fiercely. 

"Sorry," she whispered. "I...was just in the throes of a dream...and got carried away..."

I raised an eyebrow. "You dream about me like _that_?"

Jessie's eyes widened. "Well, I didn't mean...Oh, alright. Yeah, I do. Problem?"

I looked at her skeptically.

"Well, it's not like I have anyone else to dream about!" she said.

I mulled it over. "No...that's true..."

We laid down on the bed and put our arms around each other. Jessie rested her head on my chest. "Goodnight, James..."

"Goodnight, Jessie."

@----

When we woke up, James and I walked out to the balcony attached to our room. Even from there we could smell breakfast cooking in the kitchen, courtesy of Team Rocket's Rapidash.

We got dressed and headed for the kitchen. Sure enough, Rapidash had cooked omelets for breakfast. Meowth was already inhaling his. James and I sat down, digging into ours.

Rapidash grinned. "Like it?"

James and I nodded, being unable to speak articulately. Rapidash untied her apron and hung it in the pantry. "Y'all have lessons in ten, so eat up."

Then she walked out, leaving us to our half-eaten breakfasts. James slowly stirred some sugar into his coffee, emerald eyes never leaving me. I returned his stare, pouring cream into my own coffee. I blinked. 

"Ha! I always win!" James exclaimed, standing up.

I snapped my fingers. "Damn it, James, can't you at least _tell_ me first?"

He grinned. "You didn't ask."

Rapidash poked her head in the kitchen. "Okay, guys, time's a-wasting'! Get out on the lawn for martial arts and weaponry training on the double, men!"

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm a woman..."

"Whatever. You know what I meant. Just get some martial arts uniforms on-I'm sure you must have them-and meet me there."

Rapidash left again. James and I went to our room and changed. Our outfits looked more like the kind of stuff worn in _Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon_ than what Rapidash had been wearing.

We climbed down the rope and jumped to the ground. Rapidash was standing there with her set of swords and Korean Tigers Taekwondo uniform.

She instructed us to sit down. James and I sat carefully, not wanting to muss our uniforms. Rapidash sighed.

"Pathetic."

James growled under his breath. 

Rapidash pulled a black katana from the stand. She unsheathed it, the morning sun glinting off of the recently sharpened blade.

"Now, students, which of you can tell me just exactly what goes into the making of a katana like this?"

I raised my hand. 

"Yes?"

"I don't know." I said, grinning.

James shot a look at me and raised his own hand. Rapidash raised her eyebrows, signaling him to go on.

He smiled wryly. "The beauty of a katana is the result of four qualities: Its shape, the lie of the grain on the blade, the undulating pattern on the cutting edge, and the minute dots which make up the design along the edge.

"The metal obtained is hammered until a thin sheet of steel is achieved. After being hammered and worked day after day, this sheet of steel is used to cover the body, made of a softer metal. The combination of the hard and soft metals gives the blade its flexibility and its strength.

"The final stage of the work consists of sharpening and polishing. This can only be done by experienced masters because the cutting edge and the beauty and richness of the blade's decoration depend on it." 

James chuckled. "One can understand why at the end of World War II the Japanese went to all lengths to recover or buy back all the swords of value taken by the Americans or in the hands of collectors throughout the world."

Meowth and I stared. 

Rapidash smiled. "Wow, James, you do know your weaponry. Couldnt've said it better myself."

She motioned for James to stand. When he did, Rapidash handed him a katana. "Okay, James, you've proved to me what you know about a katana, now, can you use one?" 

I expected James to sheepishly reply "no", but he never did. James pulled a hair-thingy out of nowhere and tied his hair back, then unsheathed his katana. A far-away look appeared in his eyes as he ran a fingertip over the blade.

"Yes, I can."

"Great!" Rapidash exclaimed, unsheathing her own. "Then let's fight."

James grinned and narrowed his gaze. "I accept."

They bowed and then began to duel. It was nothing like fencing. There were strategic flips and feints built into the fight, and they weren't all from Rapidash. 

Rapidash sliced her sword through the air, dangerously close to James' face. She chuckled. "Touché, James."

James looked puzzled...and then, a trickle of blood ran down his cheek. He put a hand to it. "You...you..." he stammered, looking at his bloodstained fingertips.

"I got you."

This seemed to make James mad. He flipped over Rapidash's head, dragging his blade past her hair as he went. 

"Touché to you too, Rapidash." James said, holding out his katana. A few strands of hair fell from Rapidash's head.

She bent down and picked them up. "Alright, James, I believe you've proved to me what you can do."

"Dat's it? A little blood and some cut hair, and yer callin' it quits? Yer both pathetic." Meowth said.

"Meowth, the traditional Japanese way is to fight to the death." James said softly.

"And I don't think James and I want to lose any more parts of our anatomy." 

James chuckled. "Ah, afraid I might hurt you?"

"Not really, but then..." Rapidash said, leaving the thought open. She picked up a unicorn-shaped dagger and slit her wrist with it, wincing slightly. We gasped as the crimson blood ran from the wound. Suddenly, it healed, leaving only perfect, snow-white skin.

"You can't heal yourself, James."

@----

After that, we continued on to full-contact sparring. Rapidash was fast(a little _too_ fast), but I was more powerful. Needless to say, I won. With one well-placed back kick to the stomach, she was out.

"Ugh...that was a little too much, I think..." she said dizzily. Rapidash had swirls for eyes and little Lugias were flying around her head. I helped her up. 

"Rapidash? Are you okay?" I asked, noticing that she was still a little unstable. 

"Yes, James, I'm fine...Oh, look at all the pretty Lugia..."

"Rapidash! Snap out of it!" I cried as she collapsed in my arms. I sighed and carried her into the house.

Several minutes and wet washcloths later, Rapidash slowly and peacefully woke up.

"What the hell happened?! Ooohh James just wait till I get my hands on you-you'll be sipping soup through a straw for three months! I'm gonna-"

I put a finger to her lips. "Rapidash, calm down. You only got back-kicked. No reason to go loopy." 

She wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, but you have legs of steel! How'm I supposed to defend against you?"

I rubbed the side of my head. Though we'd been wearing helmets, Rapidash had hook-kicked me in the temple-I had felt like fainting myself! 

"You ain't bad yourself-after that hook kick, I wanted to faint, too!" I said.

Rapidash chuckled. "And they aren't even my strong point!"

The rest of the morning went in basically the same vein. Jessie and Meowth got their asses kicked by myself and Rapidash-in sparring and in swordfighting, of course. Around lunchtime, the four of us sat on the hanging patio and picked at our food. (Rapidash and I were immersed in _The Art of War_, and Jessie and Meowth were basically too tired to eat.)

"This book is one of my favorites." Rapidash said, looking up at me.

"Yeah, I can remember escaping to the library in my parents' mansion one day and finding an old leather-bound copy of it." I said. "I went down one night and, ahem, _borrowed_ it. I've still got it." I gestured to the bedroom where my stuff was. "Keep it with me all the time."

We went back to reading.

Later that evening(try 1:34 AM), I couldn't sleep. I padded into the kitchen, picked up a caffeine-free Coke, and was about to head back to the bedroom when I heard Rapidash talking. A glow came from her room. Not being able to resist, I peeked in.

Rapidash was talking to the Boss.

"Well, Rapidash, how goes the war?" he asked.

"Just as we planned, Giovanni." Rapidash said, grinning.

The Boss grinned back. "Perfect. Jessie and James are doing well in their studies, I hope."

"Well, sir, Jessie is..."

The Boss raised an eyebrow. "James isn't?"

"Oh no, Gio, James already knows this stuff! Archery, martial arts, fencing, even lesser-known facts about oriental weaponry! He's a natural, Giovanni, and his physical skills are just as impressive. Why, just today he backflipped over my head!"

"I didn't mean that, though I'm proud of James for his profound knowledge of such things."

My heart skipped. The Boss, proud of _me_?

"What I meant was the project." he continued.

"Oh..." Rapidash chuckled. "Fairing well. You should've seen what they did last night..."

"Tell me later. You should rest, Rapidash. You've had a long day, and you know that a young woman in your condition shouldn't be stressed out so much."

Rapidash sighed heavily. "Yes, I know. Goodnight, Giovanni."

"Goodnight, Rapidash." 

She turned the vid-phone off. "James, I know you're back there; come here and talk to me. I could use an understanding person like yourself."

I stepped into Rapidash's room. The whole thing was decorated in an oriental style. Rapidash obviously had good taste. She patted the bed next to her. I sat down.

"So...I take it you heard my conversation with Giovanni?" she asked.

"Yeah, I did." I raised an eyebrow. "How did you know I was listening?"

"I'm psychic, James. Didn't you know that?" Rapidash looked up at me. "Remember yesterday, when I mentally teleported my belt into my hand?"

I nodded. "Rapidash, can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."

I fidgeted nervously, not sure of how to begin. "Rapidash, the Boss said something about a 'condition' of yours. I don't mean to pry, but what condition did he mean?" 

Rapidash sighed heavily again. "James...I don't know how I could tell you...or how you'd understand."

I put a hand on her pale shoulder. Her skin was cool, but there was a strange heat underneath...one that seemed almost inhuman.

"Try me."

Rapidash hesitantly put her hand on mine. I could feel the roughness of her palm; the thin calluses that she worked so hard to hide. I looked down at her, and for the first time saw the true Rapidash. Lines of stress creased her young face, symptoms of some great pain that she had hidden behind a snowy, expressionless mask. 

"Well?" I urged gently.

"James..." she began.

"Yes?"

Rapidash closed her sepia eyes slowly, almost painfully. "I am a Pokemon."

I was stupefied. "W-what?"

She nodded. "Well, a Poke_man_, anyway. A person with the ability to become a new species of Pokemon. When I was a child, my parents noticed that I acted like a horse all the time. I earned quite a reputation with my classmates at Tech, namely a bad one. As soon as I got older, before I received my trainer's license, I found I had the ability to use Psychic-, Dark-, and Fire-type attacks. I trained that type of Pokemon, my pet Ponyta being my starter.

"One morning I woke up as a Rapidash! A black one, with a fiery face. I remembered from my childhood how to act like one, so I picked up my belt with my horn and began to wander back to my house. My parents called this 'organization for Pokemon and Pokemon trainers' and told them about me. Before I knew it, there I was, at Giovanni's desk."

This piqued my curiosity. "But why would your parents send you to Team Rocket? That doesn't strike me as a very loving thing to do."

Rapidash shrugged. "I come from the same area you do, James. The people up there, with the obvious exception of your parents, think that Team Rocket is an organization to _help_ trainers, not steal from them."

"But if they were going to help you, why are you an Agent?"

"I'm actually an Executive." Rapidash replied matter-of-factly. "Giovanni had heard about cases like mine. In fact, he actually had people like me working for him. He pitied me. We both knew that I would never be accepted by the real world, so he took me in and helped me hone my skills. He gave me a new name and a new identity. No longer would I be Chi Tenshi, the horse-girl, but Team Rocket's Rapidash. No mess, no fuss. A nameless entity of the night."

"Chi..." I said softly. "That's blood in Japanese."

Rapidash(or Chi)smirked. "And Tenshi?"

"Angel. So your name could mean either Blood Angel or Angel of Blood."

"Yeah, that's right. I prefer Angel of Blood, actually."

I clenched Chi's bedspread. "I have so many more questions, Rapidash..."

She smiled. "We'll talk tomorrow-or later today, you might say, since it is two in the morning. I'm sure your brilliant mind must crave answers."

"Isn't that what all minds do?"

Rapidash shook her head. "Only the intelligent ones. People of lesser intellect don't need the answers because they figure they've already got them-like our friend Bunny, you might say."

"Ah." I stood up. As I walked out the door, I could hear Rapidash's voice inside my head.

"Thank you, James...for listening...and understanding."

@----

I sighed. Today was, without a doubt, the most boring day of my life. It turned out that Rapidash's computer had crashed, so she had asked James to fix it. James turned on the computer. 

"Okay, Rapidash, what's your problem?"

Rapidash sighed exasperatedly. "I told you, it crashed! And, since I'm not a nerd like you are, you're fixing it for me."

James blinked. "Nerd?"

"Just get to reprogramming, Einstein!"

"Okay, okay..."

And for a good hour James reprogrammed, typing so fast his fingers were a blur. I watched for about five minutes, but found that Rapidash's carpet was more interesting. Meowth had fallen asleep.

Then my eyes fell on Rapidash's CD player. I picked up the earphones and pushed _play_. The beginning strains of _Like A Prayer_ filled my ears. I softly hummed along. 

At about _Dear Jessie_, James finished. I was still humming. I was sort of in a reverie(if you've ever heard _Dear Jessie, _I think you'd know what I was daydreaming about-or, to be more accurate, _who_), and not really paying attention, when all of a sudden...

"...I will make your dreams come true, for you..."

My eyes widened. I turned my head...and there was James, singing! I swallowed.

Rapidash and Meowth were laughing their asses off behind him. And still James sang. And not in his usual baritone, either. No, for this song, James was singing in a funny, lilting tenor, one I'd never heard him use. It was actually kind of freaky how sexy it was-or maybe it was just the song.

Or maybe it was the line James had altered. It was supposed to be _he_, not _I_, and I knew James knew that. Could he have altered it on purpose? 

The song ended. I clicked off the CD player. James was acting like he was playing the violin. It was kinda scary. He grinned.

"Lovely day, isn't it, Jess?" he said in a fake British accent.

"Yeah. Whatever."

My cheeks were still burning. I was beginning to think that James _had_ changed the line on purpose, and it embarrassed me even more. I stood up. 

"You know, James, I'd so love to see you really play a violin." I said, smirking.

"Why not? Rapidash, do you have one?" Rapidash went to her room and rummaged around for a violin.

My jaw dropped. "James, you're not serious?"

"I am."

Rapidash came back with a violin. "Now be careful with it; I polished it this morning." she said as she handed it to James. He ran his eyes over the bow. 

"You need to tighten the bow, Rapidash." he said.

"B-but I did!" she sputtered. James rolled his eyes and tightened it for her.

"Now, what shall I play?" he asked me.

"Hmm, I don't know."

Meowth jumped onto James' head. "Why not that song you was singin' earlier, Jimmy?"

"The whole thing?"

I grinned, knowing he'd never be able to pull it off. "Yes, James, the whole thing."

James plucked Meowth off of his head. "Alright. From memory, then."

He tested the violin out, then began to play. For the entire duration of the song Meowth and I sat, spellbound. 

"I never knew Jimmy could move his fingers dat fast." Meowth commented. 

"Me neither."

James sighed and handed the violin to Rapidash, then flexed his fingers. 

"Man, it's been a long time since I've played the violin." James said.

"I didn't know you could at all." I said.

James grinned. "There's a lot you don't know about me, Jess..."

"Cue da _Twilight Zone _music." Meowth said, giggling.

"Oh, shut up." I growled.

Rapidash sat down in her swivel chair and logged on to the Internet, ignoring us. After replying to a few e-mails, she clicked on her Favorite Places. James looked over his shoulder at her.

"What site are you going to, Rapidash?" he asked.

"The Team Rocket website, of course!" she replied. James raised an eyebrow and walked over to her.

"There's a Team Rocket site?" James asked skeptically.

"Duh, James, where do you think your e-mail address is located?"

"But...why is there a site open to the public about us, if Team Rocket is such a secret crime syndicate that half the agents don't even know what goes on in its inner sanctums?"

Rapidash sighed. "You have to enter a password to access the site, smart one."

Now Meowth and I were interested. We peeked over Rapidash's other shoulder. The site was actually pretty interesting. Rapidash clicked on a Pokeball icon. A page popped up, headed _Poke-human Agents_. There were eighteen small pictures of Pokemon there, each with a short summary. 

I scanned down the list. _Yuki Azarashi, Dewgong...Kitsune Taki, Ninetales...Chi Tenshi, Rapidash...Neko Kuroi, Persian..._

"What's a Poke-human Agent? Da Boss never said anything about dose guys...wonder why?" Meowth said. 

Rapidash hesitated briefly. "...Becausethese agents are his elite. The best. They are of great value to him. When a Pokeman—that's the proper term for them—is discovered, Giovanni goes to all lengths to see that she is brought to him."

"She?" I asked.

"Yes. Despite the fact that they are called Poke_men_, Pokemen are always women. Genetics, I guess."

I wrinkled my nose. "What makes them so special?" I asked. "Do they make better bedmates then other women?"

"NO!" Rapidash cried, slamming her fist down on the desk. "They are gifted with the ability to become a certain species of Pokemon, and as such they have special powers." She turned to me. "One of those agents is a fourteen-year-old! Do you really think that she'd willingly have sex with a 32-year-old man? Besides, Giovanni's actually a great guy, and he'd _never_ do something like that!"

Rapidash stood up. "I'm going to feed the Pokemon. If you need me, I'll be outside." She walked off in a huff.

James sighed. "Jeez, Jessie, do you really have to say the first thing that pops into your head _every time_?"

I nodded. James and Meowth fell over. 

"Ya know," Meowth said, "Rapidash got pretty mad. Wonder why?"

"It's probably because she's in love with the Boss or something." I chuckled.

James looked down. "Can't you two see?"

"See what?" Meowth and I asked in unison.

He sweatdropped. "Come on, guys! The agility and speed that Rapidash possesses...Her power of fire and her psychic ability...everything about her..."

"And...what does that mean to us?" I asked.

"Last night Rapidash sat me down and told me her story." James said. "How she was called a freak and mistreated by her classmates at Tech, simply because of her love of horses, how Giovanni took her in, everything. That girl, Chi Tenshi..."

James indicated the picture of a black Rapidash on the computer. Meowth clicked on it, and a page popped up. One with a complete personnel file on Rapidash. I looked up at James as the realization hit me.

"...Is our Rapidash." James finished.

@----

Well, it looks as though Rapidash's secret is out! But Jessie and James still have a few more days with her. Can Rapidash teach them the lesson she needs during that time? Or is Team Rocket's newfound knowledge going to impede their learning process? Stay tuned to find out!


End file.
